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Grace takes you from where you are to where God wants you to be. His work of grace in your heart takes you from being a sinner to become a saint, a child of God. You are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. [Galatians 4:7] And the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.[Romans 8:11] He does not stop with that, for He who bears witness in you also makes you a winner. It takes place gradually, step by step, as the Spirit of God leads and guides you in every aspect of your life. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [Romans 8:14] He will keep His eye upon you to counsel you and guide you. When you are at a crossroad in your life you will hear a voice in you that says, ‘this is the way, walk in it’.
He guides you –
God never drags or compels you. He gently leads and guides you. You have been created in His image, to choose to do His will with your own free will, to be voluntarily led by Him in paths of righteousness. He never drives you into a corner to force you to do what He wants you to do.
Led by the Spirit of truth –
It is the still small voice of the Holy Spirit in you that leads and guides you every step of the way. A voice that is definitely not a hallucination. It is the Spirit of truth who leads you on level ground by guiding you into all truth. [John 16:13]
What is truth ?
To you who believe in the Eternal Word, Lord Jesus, that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, the answer is abundantly clear – ‘Thy word is truth’[John 17:17] These are the words of the Saviour Himself. In a world that challenges everything, and believes that truth is subjective, to be interpreted according to the circumstance, you need to settle firmly on the foundation that God’s word is completely and absolutely true forever. And the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, leads you through the word of God. The Spirit and the word are the resources with which God leads you.
Let the word of God dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom … [Colossians 3:16] Your heart and mind needs to be filled with the word of God to such an extent that there is an overflow. When out of the fullness of your heart your mouth speaks, you will speak words with divine clarity. And as your mind gets renewed more and more by the word of God, you will be able to see God’s perspective in your life’s happenings, leading to divine power being manifested in you.
Divine perspective and power –
His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind ? Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God may be displayed in his life’. [John 9:2,3] And today, whatever may be the suffering or affliction that you are going through, Christ has dealt with every curse, every pain on the Cross of Calvary. Therefore eyes opened by the word of God to see this truth, be led to walk in healing and freedom.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit… [Ephesians 3-18] God guides you through two infillings within you – a filling of the Spirit and a filling of His word. They can be likened to the twin rails of the railway track on which the train runs, carrying you safely to your destination. When one rail is not right or is absent, there will be a derailing. And just as in a railway track, the Spirit of God and His word are equally important in being led by Him. Any over emphasis on one or the other will lead you into error, preventing your progress in the right direction. The Bible always maintains a wonderful balance. It’s truth will never see you lose your balance and fall. And even if you fall, get derailed in life, it’s truth will put you back on the rails once again to reach your potential.
Undue and a very literal emphasis on the word of God alone will lead you to a legalistic approach in your spiritual walk with God. It will find you trying to pick up a live snake expecting no harm to happen, for it is written in the Word that it is a sign that accompanies those who believe in Christ. [Mark 16:18] The devil tried to tempt the Lord by literally and in presumption quoting the word of God saying, ‘it is written that angels will hold you up’. But the word of God never says you can jump from whatever you want, where ever and whenever you want. And the Lord who was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, overcame with the word saying, ‘it is also written that you shall not put the Lord your God to test’. [Luke 4:9-12]
The letter kills – Grace gives life:
When a woman caught in adultery was brought before Jesus by some scribes and Pharisees demanding that she be stoned to death, the Lord spoke forgiving empowering words to her, but pointed out the sin in each of the men gathered around her. ‘Go and sin no more’ he said to her, releasing her from condemnation. [John 8:3-18] Today it may not be the same wrongdoing, but you and I and all of humanity have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death. And it is the love of the Father, the grace of His Son Jesus Christ, and the divine exchange that took place on the Cross of Calvary that sets the penitent sinner free, giving eternal life. The letter kills, but instead of death, grace gives life.
As you drive, keeping the speed limit on the road saves your life. At the same time, you give way to the ambulance that crosses the speed limit, for it is on it’s way to save a life. The greatest advantage you now have is that the Spirit of God who wrote the scriptures is residing in you. And when you ask Him, He will lead and guide you into all truth. Your problem today need not overpower you. God will lead you and it will be a demonstration of His power in your circumstance. And you will overwhelmingly conquer.
Leaning only on the verse in the scriptures that says, ‘ the anointing you received from Him abides in you and you have no need that anyone should teach you’ [1 John 2:27] will lead you to deception and imbalance. For God’s word also declares, ‘And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers’ [2 Corinthians 12:28] for it to be equipped and grow in the knowledge of the will of God. The Spirit of God in you leads you through the word of God. When you depend on what you think is the Spirit’s voice, or the anointing in you alone, you will be led into the realm of feelings.
Dictated by feelings –
As you begin to think I feel I should be doing this your feelings will dictate your actions. But the truth is, your feelings ought to follow your thoughts, and your thoughts need to be aligned to the word of God. In short, feelings have to be substantiated by the word of God. The word in your heart and mind is what the Spirit uses to steer your life and carry you forward. So don’t be taken in by those who walk into your life, your home, saying, I hear God’s voice asking you to do this, go there etc. The Holy Spirit has to bear witness in your spirit confirming it. Otherwise don’t worry about it. Do not despise prophecies, but always test it by the word of God. It is the word and the Spirit in you that brings healing and direction in your life.
Healing and guidance – [Psalms 23:1-3]
The familiar psalm has layers of truth embedded in it. It begins with the picture of a loving Shepherd who leads you step by step, building up to vs 3 where you are led in paths of righteousness.
a) Relationship –
It begins with a relationship, and not a depersonalized one. The Lord is your shepherd. [vs 1] For you have received the Spirit of adoption through which you can call Him Abba, Father all through your life. Your Father knows what you need. You need not be anxious. He will supply your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. So you can find your rest in your relationship with Him.
b) Rest –
In a relationship with Him, the Lord leads you to green pastures that satisfy your needs and to then to rest beside quiet waters. [vs 2] When the Lord is leading you, when He is in the driver’s seat of your life, you can rest even in a restless situation. Rest and quiet confidence in Him will be your strength.
c) Restoration –
In a relationship with Him as you rest, He begins to restore you. He restores your soul. [vs 3] And then He leads you in paths of righteousness. Christianity is a continuous relationship with God, your Father, all through your life. You are on line with Him every single moment of the day. Every day, as you wake up, in your quiet time with Him God, He can give you a word that initiates a divine conversation with Him all through the day. Three simple words paint an eloquent picture of His restoration.
1. Refreshes –
It is an updating of your soul, as your spirit is in conversation with the Lord even in your sleep. Weeping may remain in the night but joy will come in the morning. Sometimes you may go to sleep with a heavy problem in your mind only to wake up with the solution to it.
2. Restores –
It is a re instating, a renovating of a damaged soul. If your soul today has been damaged, abused, broken hearted by the bitter words spoken against you, He restores your life to it’s former glory and then He leads you in paths of righteousness.
3. Renews –
It is a divine exchange from the Lord – your thoughts replaced by His thoughts, leading to your broken, human emotions being replaced by that which is divine – your fear replaced by His faith, your doubt replaced by revelation from God. He will heal your wounds and pain. It will take time. But you will be healed and restored.
The power of the Cross –
Christ has done it all on Calvary. In the garden of Gethsemane He cried out to the Father, ‘My heart is troubled’. The bible never hides the vulnerable moments of the Son of God. Today you can cry out to the Almighty God in your troubled moments of life, calling out to Him as Abba Father. It is the privilege you have all because of the Cross. For as He laid down His will to do the Father’s will, sweat drops of blood displaying His great agony, the Saviour arose from prayer and went unflinching to the Cross, to overcome sin and satan and reign in victory.
He leads you –
And now He leads you in a triumphal procession. He leads you in paths of righteousness as His Spirit in you enlightens and guides you through His word. You have a relationship with God. He is your God. He leads you as you rest in your relationship with Him and your soul is restored. It is well with your soul Amen.
